Laterally displaceable arrow rest



Nov. 15, 1966 w. A. WOLFE 3,285,237

LATERALLY DISPLACEABLE ARROW REST Filed Feb. 24, 1964 United States Patent 3,285,237 LATERALLY DISPLACEABLE ARROW REST William A. Wolfe, 9918 Halls Ferry Road, St. Louis, Mo. Filed Feb. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 346,620 3 Claims. (Cl. 12441) This invention relates to an arrow rest for attaching to a bow. The arrow rest supports the shaft of an arrow that is shot from the bow. Two forms of arrow rests are shown and described, but both have certain features in common. In each case, while the arrow rest is supported from the side of the bow and has an upper surface upon which the shaft of the arrow rests and slides, the body that defines this arrow rest surface is easily movable away from the side of the bow. Whenever an arrow is shot, its trajectory is principally forward but is also lateral with respect to the bow. The arrow is always spaced laterally from the side of the bow at the time the feathers are passing the bow.

The general object of this invention is to provide an arrow rest defined by a movable member that is biased by a light force toward the side of the how, but that is yieldable and movable away from the side of the bow under the force of the arrow that is sliding across the arrow rest, thereby reducing the obstruction to passage of the feathers on the arrow past the arrow rest.

In one form of the arrow rest, a support is fastened to the side of a bow, and a swing arm is mounted on a pin that rotates on the support. The free end of the arm supports a brush, and a spring biases the arm toward the bow so that the tips of the brush bristles contact the side of the bow. An arrow rests on the upper sides of the bristles and contacts the end of the arm that supports the brush. When the arrow is shot and veers away from the side of 'the bow, the shaft of the arrow bears against the portion of the arm it contacts and swings the arm away from the side of the bow as the arrow continues to slide across the upper side of the bristles. The trajectory of the arrow causes the tips of the bristles to move away from the side of the bow, and the downwardly extending feather on the end of the arrow passes between the bristles and the side of the arrow. In this way, there is minimum resistance to the flight of the arrow.

Irl the other form of the arrow rest, a sliding block is mounted on a long wood screw. The block has a cylindrical arrow rest surface, the outer edge of which is defined by an annular shoulder. A light compression spring biases the sliding block into contact with the side of a bow to which the wood screw is fastened. The arrow slides across the cylindrical arrow rest surface and when the arrow moves laterally, it bears against the annular shoulder and causes the sliding block to move laterally with the arrow.

Objects of the invention are to provide an arrow rest that moves laterally away from the side of the bow toreduce obstructions in the path of the feathers of the arrow when the arrow is being shot, and to provide specific constructions of such an arrow rest, as generally outlined above.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of one form of the arrow rest;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view of the arrow rest of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation view of the arrow rest;

FIGURE 4 is a bottom plan view of the arrow rest;

FIGURE 5 is a view in horizontal section through a typical bow taken just above the place where the arrow rest is mounted;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary front elevation view of the bow with the arrow rest mounted thereon and with an arrow shown in section as it rests upon the arrow rest with the bow string and the arrow drawn back to the position from which the bow string is released to shoot the arrow;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary front elevation view similar to FIGURE 6 but with the arrow having been shot and the feathers about to pass the arrow rest;

FIGURE 8 is a front elevation view of another form of the arrow rest;

FIGURE 9 is a view in section on an enlarged scale taken along the line 9-9 of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary front elevation view of a bow with the arrow rest of FIGURE 8 mounted thereon and an arrow shown in section and in the drawn position ready for shooting; and

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary front elevation view similar to FIGURE 10, but with the arrow having been shot and the feathers having just reached the arrow rest.

Referring now to the drawing, the arrow rest shown in FIGURES 1-7, has a mounting frame 21, a swing arm 22, and a brush 23. The mounting frame 21 comprises a vertical base 24 that has a pair of holes 25 through it. A downwardly recessed pocket 26 extends to the side of the vertical base 24. T o the side of the pocket 26, there are two spaced horizontal support walls 27 and 28 joined together by a vertical endwall 29. There are coaxial holes 30 and 31 through the horizontal support walls 27 and 28. The holes 30 and 31 are spaced approximately inch from the vertical base 24.

A pivot pin 33 is mounted between the horizontal support walls 27 and 28. The pivot pin 33 has reduced ends 34 that extend within the holes 30 and 31. The pivot pin I 33 is freely rotatable.

The swing arm 22 has one end 35 bent about and clamped to the pivot pin 33. From the end 35 the arm 22 has the lateral and upward extensions 36 and 37 generally illustrated in FIGURE 3 and is bent as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 4. At the other end of the arm 22 there is a brush support plate 38 having a retainer 39 bent around it with upper and lower paths 40 and 41. There is a slot through the plate 38 (which does not show in the views illustrated) through which the bristles 43 of the brush 23 extend. The bristles are mounted and extend from a block 44 that is held in place between the plate 38 and the retainer 39 by the tabs 40 and 41. The upper surfaces of the bristles 43 are about inch above the surface defining the pocket 26.

There is a flexible tension spring 47 having one end 48 hooked to the end wall 29 and the other end 49 hooked to the swing arm 22. The tension spring 47 always biases the swing arm and brush 43 to the position illustrated in FIGURE 1, but the strength of the spring is light, and a relatively small force is required to swing the swing arm 22 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG- URE 1.

The arrow rest 20 is fastened to the side of a wood bow 50 by a pair of wood screws 52 which extend through the holes 25 in the vertical base 24. The arrow rest is mounted so that the swing arm 22 pivots in a horizontal arc about the vertical pivot pin 33. If the bow 50 has a horizontal shelf 53 on its side, the arrow rest 20 is mounted so that the brush bristles 43 are approximately inch to inch above the shelf 53.

FIGURES 8l1 illustrate another form of arrow rest wherein an aluminum sliding block 61 is mounted on a wood screw 62. The sliding block 61 has a hole 63 through it that is sufiiciently large in diameter to allow free sliding movement of the block 61. The block 61 has a cylindrical rest surface 64 that is about inch wide and has a beveled or tapered inner side 65 that is about /8 inch wide. On the outer side, there is a guide shoulder 66 that surrounds the block 61 with a spring seat hub 67 3 on the outer face of the shoulder 66, as illustrated in FIG- URE 9.

The wood screw 62 has a head 68 on it, the inner side 69 of which acts as a spring seat for the reduced end 70 of a compression spring 71. The compression spring 71 is spirally wound from the reduced end 70 to a larger end 72 that is wrapped about the spring seat hub 67. The spring 71 biases the sliding block 61 to the left as viewed in FIGURE 9.

The arrow rest 60 is mounted on the side of the bow 50 by simply driving the wood screw 62 part way into the side of the bow 50.

FIGURES 6 and 7 show how the arrow rest 20 is used when an arrow 80 is shot. When a bow and arrow is used properly, the arrow 80, which has three feathers 81, 82 and 83 at the back, is positioned with the bow string 84 in the arrow slot (not shown), so that one of the feathers 81 projects at right angles from the side of the bow 50 and the other two feathers 82 and 83 are at about 30 to the bow string 84. This correct position of the arrow 80 is illustrated in FIGURES 6 and 7.

When the arrow rest 20 is mounted on the side of the bow 50, the tension spring 47 biases the swing arm 22 in a clockwise direction as illustrated in FIGURE until the tips of the bristles 43 contact the side of the bow. The sides of these bristles 43 are then in a position to support the shaft of the arrow 80.

The shaft of the arrow 80 is rested upon the side of the bristles 43, as illustrated in FIGURE 6, and its slotted end is engaged with the bow string 84. As the bow string 84 and the arrow 80 are drawn back preparatory to shooting the arrow, the arrow shaft slides across the top of the bristles 43. When the arrow and bow string are drawn back fully, the arrow still rests on the bristles 43, and the swing arm 22 is still swung so that the bristles 43 are in contact with the side of the bow 50, as illustrated in FIGURE 6.

When the bow string 84 is released to shoot the arrow, the arrow is propelled forwardly. When an arrow is shot, it does not maintain contact with the side of the bow. In fact, it swings outwardly a considerable distance, as illustrated in FIGURE 7. The arrow may move laterally back and forth as it passes the bow 50, but when the feathers 81-83 are about to pass the bow 50, the arrow 80 is always spaced from the bow, as illustrated in FIGURE 7. As the arrow moves laterally, its contact with the brush support plate 38 causes the swing arm 22 to swing under the force of the arrow, drawing the bristles 43 away from the side of the bow 50. The light tension spring 47 resists this swinging movement of the swing arm 22 only weakly. The bristles 43 are spaced from the'side of the how 50 when the feathers pass, and as shown in FIGURE 7, this leaves a free space, through which the lower feather 83 can pass as the arrow moves beyond the bow 50. Thus, the resistance to the arrows flight is reduced to a very low value.

FIGURES 10 and 11 show this same action with the arrow rest 60. The trajectory of the arrow 80 is t e same as previously described. As the arrow slides laterally upon being shot, it pushes against the shoulder 66 and causes the slide block 61 to follow the path of the arrow 80. While the wood screw 62 is in the path of the feather '83, it is further from the shaft of the arrow 80 than the arrow rest surface 64 so that resistance to passage of the feather 83 is reduced.

Various changes and modifications may be made within the purview of this invention as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are within the scope and teaching of this invention as defined by the claims appended thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. An arr-ow rest comprising a support, means for fastening the support to the side of a bow, means defining an arrow rest surface movably attached to the support for movement toward and away from the side of the how, the support having an arm spaced below the arrow rest for receiving the fastening means, the space between the support and the arrow rest being suflicicnt to permit the unobstructed passage of an arrow feather past the support, means for biasing the arrow rest surface defining means toward the side of the bow, and a projection on the arrow rest surface defining means in the lateral path of an arrow moving across the arrow rest, the arrow rest surface being between the projection and the fastening means, the biasing means being yielda-ble when a lateral force is applied by an arrow against the projection to permit the arrow rest to swing away from the bow, whereby movement of the arrow rest away from the bow creates a space through which an arrow feather can pass while the arrow rest continues to support the arrow.

2. The arrow rest of claim 1 wherein the support comprises a frame extending laterally from the side of the bow, and the means defining the arrow rest surface includes an arm pivotally supported by the frame and having a free end to which a brush is mounted for horizontal extension toward the side of the bow, the upper sides of the bristles of the brush comprising the arrow rest surface.

3. The arrow rest of claim 1 wherein the support comprises a screw threaded into the side of the bow, and the means defining the arrow rest surface comprises a cylindrical block slidably mounted on the screw with its axis disposed normal to the side of the how, the projection being defined by the edge of the cylindrical surface furthest from the side of the bow being terminated by an annular outwardly extending shoulder.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,040,728 6/1962 Nieman 124 24 3,108,584 10/1963 Coe 124 24 OTHER REFERENCES Para-Rest by Saxon, Archery Magazine, August 1961 p. A-S. RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

W. R. BROWNE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ARROW REST COMPRISING A SUPPORT, MEANS FOR FASTENING THE SUPPORT TO THE SIDE OF A BOW, MEANS DEFINING AN ARROW REST SURFACE MOVABLY ATTACHED TO THE SUPPORT FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE SIDE OF THE BOW, THE SUPPORT HAVING AN ARM SPACED BELOW THE ARROW REST FOR RECEIVING THE FASTENING MEANS, THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SUPPORT AND THE ARROW REST BEING SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT THE UNOBSTRUCTED PASSAGE OF AN ARROW FEATHER PAST THE SUPPORT, MEANS FOR BIASING THE ARROW REST SURFACE DEFINING MEANS TOWARD THE SIDE OF THE BOW, AND A PROJECTION ON THE ARROW REST SURFACE DEFINING MEANS IN THE LATERAL PATH OF AN ARROW MOVING ACROSS THE ARROW REST, THE ARROW REST SURFACE BEING BETWEEN THE PROJECTION AND THE FASTENING MEANS, THE BIASING MEANS BEING YIELDABLE WHEN A LATERAL FORCE IS APPLIED BY AN ARROW AGAINST THE PROJECTION TO PERMIT THE ARROW REST TO SWING AWAY FROM THE BOW, WHEREBY MOVEMENT OF THE ARROW REST AWAY FROM THE BOW CREATES A SPACE THROUGH WHICH AN ARROW FEATHER CAN PASS WHILE THE ARROW REST CONTINUES TO SUPPORT THE ARROW. 